The sixth biennial ORS PSRS International Spine Research Symposium was held from November 6 to 10, 2022, at Skytop Lodge in northeastern Pennsylvania, USA. Organized jointly by the Orthopaedic Research Society and the Philadelphia Spine Research Society, the symposium attracted more than 200 participants from 15 different countries who came together to share the latest advances in basic and preclinical spine research. Following the symposium, selected participants were invited to submit full-length manuscripts to this special issue of JOR Spine.